


Into the Black

by Starshaker



Series: 30 days of Techienician [12]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: 30 Days of Techienician, Affection, Affectionate Insults, Alternate Universe - Firefly Setting, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Established Relationship, Firefly References, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 17:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8022067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starshaker/pseuds/Starshaker
Summary: 30 days of Techienician. Days Twelve : AU
Firefly AU: A grease monkey and a heavy as their captain and the rest of the crew call them. Matt will sit and clean his weapons in the engine room as Techie makes a dozen small repairs without any of the correct parts. Techie swears and Matt grins and can’t take his eyes off him.





	Into the Black

A grease monkey and a heavy as their captain and the rest of the crew call them. Techie is the captain’s cousin in some description that no-one beside he and the captain are privy to. Yet despite their familial relationship it was Matt who was recruited to the Finaliser first, and Matt who had found Techie before Hux had ordered them both to be broken out of the state jail on some backwater planet. Matt had been half way through insisting that Techie come with them when Hux had pulled them both on board and shouted for them to take off. 

The Finaliser was a firefly class vessel and Techie had taken one look about the engine room and had become one with the ship. Matt hadn’t been sure if Techie wanted let alone welcomed his presence so for weeks he’d sat just outside the door of the engine room. His back against the wall as he napped or worked or cleaned his weapons. It wasn’t until Techie had called him in. 

A sweet and quiet voice that Matt nearly tripped over his own feet to attend to. He helped Techie steady a connection here and monitor a circuit there and then when he’d tried to make a polite exit Techie had asked him to stay. From that moment Matt’s could almost always be found sat inside the door of the engine room. His back to the wall and watching Techie with an unfaltering gaze as he cleaned and sharpened his weapons absentmindedly. 

The pilot tech, Mitaka had suggested that such a display could feel threatening but Matt knew differently. Techie had told him differently. Techie had sank to sit against the wall beside him and asked him to explain all the ways of his weapons. Techie liked that Matt knew his weapons as well as Techie knew about engines and mechanics. 

 

It was one of the days when Matt was watching Techie adjust some fine connection in the finalizers engine, when Techie swore as the engine sparked and Matt smiled because hearing Techie swear under his breath in any capacity was a gift that made his day better like no other. 

Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor and vibrated through the wall Matt was leant back against. Heavy footsteps meant either Captain Hux or Phasma, and possibly that meant the Matt was about to be told he’d done something wrong. He waited, hoping that the footsteps would pass him by and continue on to the bunks further along. The footsteps slowed as they neared and a dark shadow fell over him from the doorway. A knee high booted foot shifted the rifle from the doorway and then descended the stairs. Matt glanced up and the Captain ignored him. 

“How’s she looking?” Hux asked.

“Motivator’s in top form but the exhaust is picking up something from the new fusion rods,”

“Can we hit peak acceleration if we need to?” Hux asked.

“Do we need to?” Matt asked. 

“We might,”

“I can keep her running Captain,” Techie said as he caressed a hand down over the side of the engine casing “Where’re we going?”

“That’s not… clear,” Hux said

“Hux?” Techie said and took a step towards the Captain.

“I think something there has been trying to contact us. Or me specifically,”

“It doesn’t feel right,” Techie said as he shook his head and his eyes seemed to glaze over as he stared straight ahead and at nothing at all.

“I know,” Hux said and met Techie’s eyes for a moment as they cleared. 

“So you’ve both got bad feelings about heading to this place that neither of you know where we’re going and yet we’re still going,”

“We’ll arrive in four hours,” Hux said and he turned to leave and began to stride out

“What’ll I need?” Matt asked as Hux reached the door.

“Something discrete. We’re not causing a scene,”

“Should I pack the grenades? Explosives?” Matt asked as he rolled a grenade in his hands.

“You should not,” Hux said and promptly left.

Matt set the grenade down at his side as the Captain’s footsteps retreated down the corridor. He rolled his eyes and when he looked up Techie met his eyes with a knowing look.

“He said I shouldn’t. Not that I couldn’t,” Matt said

“He might trust you more if you followed his orders,”

“I follow enough of them,” Matt said and shrugged one shoulder.

“Can you pass me that wrench?” Techie gestured to the tool at Matt’s feet. 

“If Cap’ wants everything in perfect order in less than four hours should you be taking a wrench to things _now_?”

“I was going to use it to knock some sense into you,”

“Wouldn’t work. Plenty of people have already tried it,” Matt said with a lopsided grin, “Kisses work though,”

“Really?” Techie asked and he raised an eyebrow as he glanced back at Matt.

“Not for very long,” Matt said and shrugged, “But they work,”

“Maybe you only need a bit of sense for a little while,” Techie said as he set the wrench down against a low shelf and leant down to press a kiss to Matt’s forehead. As he pulled away Matt looked up, his heart felt ready to burst in his chest as Techie watched him with his crystal blue eyes. “I wish I knew what was going on in there,” Techie said as he carded his fingers down through Matt’s hair, “There’s so much I want to know,”

“I’m an open book,” Matt said and shrugged. 

“And your every thought is written across your forehead, isn’t it?”

“That’s what my momma used to say,” Matt said and instantly cringed at the phrasing. Matt inwardly cursed himself, “My mum would have loved you,” Matt said and then immediately wondered if he was digging himself into a hole. He pushed himself up to his feet and Techie watched him through his hair that had fallen over his eyes as he trained his gaze to the floor. 

“She would have loved your hair and your eyes. Would’ve thought you’re too good for me,” Matt said.

“Then she can’t see in front of her own eyes,”

“Can I get a kiss for good luck?” Matt asked.

“For what? Techie asked. He frowned and pursed his lips as he looked MAtt up and down.

“Anything could be down on that planet,” Matt said flippantly, “You said yourself you had a bad feeling. I might need all the luck you can spare,”

 

“What’s down there anyway?” Matt asked as he ducked through the doorway and stared at the planet down below them through the cockpit windscreen. “Looks grim,” A dark storm covered half the planet. Lightening lit up what could have been whole continents beneath the clouds and the sensors across the cockpit dash was blinking wildly.

“There’s no life signs but something’s blocking our sensors. 

“No-one’s going down there. There’s someone coming up to us,” Captain Hux said and the whole room went quiet. Matt shared a look with Techie and Mitaka seemed to share his own look with Phasma. The captain looked on towards the planet oblivious of his crew’s uncertainly.

“If something's meeting with us sir should we not send out a pod to meet it half way. Just in case?”

“I’ll take it alone,” Hux said without looking up.

“Is that wise sir?” Mitaka asked. 

“Captain. A word please,” Phasma said. Her voice was low but every member of the crew heard her uncertainty. Hux turned on his heel and Phasma followed him out. Matt let out a long low whistle.

“You bad feeling was right Techie,” Matt said and leant forwards onto the console to stare at the planet again.

“You’ve got a bad feeling too?” Mitaka asked.

“Hux known what he’s doing,” Techie said

“Cept he doesn’t,” Matt said and with one hand he traced the edge of his blaster at his hip. “Anything comes on board i’m shooting it first and asking questions later,”

“We’ll soon see,”Mitaka said. He reached across the console and typed something into the keypad, “Pod 2 has just released from docking,” Mitaka reported and all faces turned to the figure that appeared in the doorway. Phasma cast her blank helmeted gaze over all of them. 

“Everyone to your posts,”

 

Another hour passed before there was any word from Hux’s shuttle. Matt settles on the cold metal stairway between the shuttle entrance and the cargo bay. 

“Pod docking in twenty,” Phasma shouted and Matt was on his feet, gun in hand and a level shot aimed the pod door.

“Five, four, three,” Phasma counted down and the whole ship rumbled beneath their feet as the pod locked in. The hiss of the inner door opening had Phasma arming her blaster and the sight of their captain stood at the inner door didn’t persuade her to disarm it.

“At ease Phasma,” Hux said and waved at Phasma’s weapon. She lowered it fractionally, disarmed it and let it fall to her side, “Both of you help me drag this inside.” Hux said as he turned back to the pod and kicked at something.

The something turned out to be a large metal storage unit. seven foot by three and weighed some the three of them struggled to manoeuvre it to the centre of the cargo bay.

“What’s so special about this hunk of junk anyway?” Matt asked as finally Hux stepped away from the crate and deemed it correctly placed.

“I seem to remember you saying that about my ship at one point,” Hux said and only granted Matt a brief glance.

“Are you going to make me live in the box?”

“I might,” Hux shot him a look and Matt rolled his eyes and backed off. 

“Are we going to open it?” Phasma asked and Matt caught the barest hint of a frown pulling at her features..

“Don’t open it!” Matt turned at the sound of Techie’s voice to see him cowering behind one of the metal railings.

“Why not,” Hux called back to him without looking up from the crate.

“I, I-,” Techie stuttered but no explanation was forthcoming

“It doesn’t feel like a good idea sir,” Mitaka said. He too was up on the balcony but descending the steps to their level.. 

“Does anyone else think i should not open this crate?” Hux asked, his eyes darting to Phasma and Matt. 

“If this thing has had some affect on you-,”Phasma started as she eyed it warily, “I don’t trust whatever it is sir. I’d rather throw it back out there to the black,” Matt shrugged despite his own gut feeling mirroring Techie’s. His stomach twisted as Hux stepped reached for the crowbar. 

“Then it definitely needs opening,” Hux muttered. 

Matt fingered his blaster at his side and cast a brief look up to Techie before he returned his gaze back to the crate. The second the crowbar touched the crate a terrific crack seemed to echoed right through him and the lid of the box flew backwards and hit the wall leaving a dent in the metal work. Phasma’s blaster was levelled at the contents only a fraction of a second before Matt’s was and Hux cautiously eyed the contents over the rim.

“What is it?” Matt asked and no-one replied to him.

Matt didn’t think he’d done more than blick and a man was pulling himself up and stumbling from the crate. Various objects around the room suddenly began to vibrate and the walls creaked as if they were suddenly under doubled pressure. This man had an energy in him that was definitely not safe.

“Everyone out,” Hux shouted, “Phasma clear the room!”

The man held out a claw like hand and Hux was lifted from the floor as he clutched at his throat as if trying to pull at some invisible noose. Phasma hadn’t shot her weapon and Matt though he tried seemed unable to pull the trigger of his own. A single shot fired down from overhead. It hit the man in the shoulder and Hux dropped to the floor. He landed in a crouch and in seconds he had his own blaster aimed at the man.

“Who are you?” Hux demanded and the man glowered back at him.

“Kylo Ren,” The Man. He had a low rasp in his voice like he’d been withouot water for days. Matt supposed he could have been if he’d been floating about in the black in that box prior to their arrival. 

“Knight of Ren?” Hux asked.

“What do you know of the knights?”

“I know I don’t want you on my ship,”

“I need to get to Hearthweight,”

“I don’t operate a taxi service,”

“It wasn’t a request,” Kylo Ren answered.

“Didn’t sound like a request,” Matt muttered. Phasma shot him a look. “Well it wasn’t,”

“No, I didn’t catch any hint of manners in the statement,” Hux said. He took a step towards Ren and received a frown in return.

“Do I know you? From before?”

“I shouldn’t think so. Before what?”

“Before the darkness,”

“There’s always been darkness,” Hux said. Beside Matt Phasma shifted her stance. 

“I don’t think he’s talking about the black,” Phasma said.

“You feel it too?” REn asked, his head snapped up towards Phasma and then to Matt and Mitaka behind them as if only now realising there was more company in the room. He eyes were dark yet striking and Matt, if he every admitted to being more than a little superstitious, could feel a great intimidating power wrapping around him the longer he held the man’s gaze.

“Could you try making sense?” Hux said sharply and Matt was released from the eye contact.

“I am! I-,” Ren curled in on himself and his nails scratched into his scalp and his fingers gripped his hair, pulling it tight from the roots. “He’s still here,” A wave of anxious feeling seemed to pass through everyone in the room who all glanced to one another to see if they had felt it too. Techie was shaking up on the balcony, his knuckles white as they gripped the banister. All around them in the hold things of all sizes, weapons, boxes, junk was vibrating in mid air.

“Stop that,”Hux snapped but he didn’t seem to be heard “Ren!” At Matt’s side Phasma raised her blaster and sent a double shot. Her hit was to Ren’s shoulder. Ren crumpled and his knees hit the floor hard. Hux moved faster than Matt could register and he managed to catch Ren by his shoulders.

 

The loud ring of a new comm coming through caught all of their attention. Hux steadied Ren for a moment before he slowly crossed the room.

“This is the Imperial contacting the firefly class vessel. We request the immediate release of the stolen crate marked S-zero-one-zero. We will fire if this request doesn’t receive adequate response,”

“Doesn’t sound like much of a request,” Matt muttered and Hux shot him a look as he answered the comm at the console by the ramp door.

“We’re just scavengers on our way through. Can’t say I know which crate you’re talking about but we’ll send out everything we’ve hauled in for the past day,”

“That will be acceptable, be ready to transfer in five standard minutes,” Hux clicked off the comm and glanced around the room. 

“Get ready to transfer all the junk from Omega Four,” Hux said as he turned on the spot and the gears of a plan were already in motion.

“Sir?” Mitaka started.

“Mitaka, get ready for evasive maneuvers. Ren. With me,” 

Matt watched them head for the bridge and after a quick glance from Phasma she followed at a short distance. Matt was left to move the cargo to the ramp.

 

The cargo was loaded and released into the black ready for the Imperial to collect. Mitaka had his hand waiting on the accelerator. 

“Everyone buckle in the second they open their doors to collect we’re out of here,” Mitaka said as Matt joined the rest of the crew on the brig, “It might be a bit bumpy,” Ren stood off to one side and Matt knew he shouldn’t stare but Matt couldn’t help but wonder how and what power this man or creature had. It was definitely a power Matt wanted to know more about.

“Sir,” Matt said as he stepped up beside Hux.

“What is it?” Hux snapped, his eyes only torn away from the Imperial after a long blink. 

“Should I do the honours?” Matt held up a small box in his hand and offered it to Hux, “You didn’t say I couldn’t pack them. Only said I shouldn’t,” 

“Explosives. He loaded them with timers and explosives,” Phasma said and a metallic laugh flooded the cockpit. 

“Kicking in the engine in three, two-,” The engine's vibrated through the hull and as the craft began to pick up speed a flash of light erupted from the other ship. 

Matt felt someone touch his hand. His fingers interlaced with Techie’s. Matt braced himself against the wall with one hand around Techie’s waist. Techie was a warm pressure at his side and none of the earlier darkness and intimidating power from across the room could compare to this.Their ship lurched from the shockwave and Mitaka used the propulsion to send them flying ever faster into the black.

**Author's Note:**

> Possibly to be continued x


End file.
